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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Vandalia City Council Meeting - January 6, 2025: Oaths, Public Works Approvals, and Variance Decisions

City Council — Monday, January 6, 2025

BodyVandalia, Ohio

SessionCity Council

DateMonday, January 6, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 51:11

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:06

The January 6th City of Vandalia Council meeting is now called to order.

0:10

We'll start with a moment of reflection, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

0:18

Please stand for the pledge.

0:24

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic, which it stands one nation under God, indivisible liberty and justice for all.

0:43

All right, we have no minutes to approve.

0:46

We have no communications petitions and awards.

0:49

Or that brings us to communications petitions and awards.

0:51

And uh at this time I've got the privilege to uh administer the oath of office to our interim city manager, Mr.

0:57

Kurt Althouse.

1:00

A native of Tip City, Kurt Althouse has spent 22 years in Montgomery County Sheriff's Office before joining as police lieutenant in October of 2014.

1:10

Kurt has served as the chief of police since 2018 and previously served as interim city manager in 2020 and 2021.

1:19

Kurt lives in the area with his fiancee, Melanie.

1:22

Kurt also has three sons, Justin, Jeremy, and Jaden.

1:27

Kurt, if you'd like to join me down front.

2:00

All right, raise your right hand, repeat after me.

2:03

I state your name.

2:05

I Kurt Althouse.

2:06

Solemnly swear.

2:07

Solemnly swear.

2:08

That I will support the Constitution.

2:10

That I will support the Constitution.

2:12

And will obey the laws of the United States.

2:14

And we'll obey the laws of the United States.

2:17

And of the state of Ohio.

2:18

And of the state of Ohio.

2:20

That I will, in all respects.

2:22

That I will in all respects.

2:24

Observe the provisions of the charter.

2:26

Observe the provisions of the charter.

2:27

And the ordinances of the City of Vandalia.

2:30

And the ordinances of the City of Vandalia.

2:32

And will faithfully discharge.

2:33

And we'll faithfully discharge.

2:35

The duties of the Office of Interim City Manager.

2:38

The duties of the Office of Interim City Manager.

2:40

Congratulations, sir.

2:42

Thank you.

3:38

Thanks.

3:44

And at this time we're going to continue on with some fun Vandalia business.

3:49

So if you don't want to we get two more appointments, I'm sorry.

4:01

All right, next we have the introduction and oath of office for a police officer.

4:05

Uh Mr.

4:05

Althouse.

4:07

Yeah, two.

4:09

So it's our privilege to have two new police officers that joined the Vandale Division of Police today.

4:15

So I will start out by reading their bios.

4:17

I will ask them to stand individually as I read each of their bios, and then we'll come down and administer the oath of office to them individually.

4:25

Our first police officer that we brought on board today is Hunter Stout.

4:29

Hunter, if you will stand up.

4:31

So Hunter reported for duty this morning and began his initial orientation and field training with the division of police.

4:38

Hunter graduated in 2009 from Warden Senior High School in Hillsborough County, Florida.

4:44

He's still getting used to the cold and snow.

4:46

I asked him this morning.

4:47

He attended the University of Louisville, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Communication in 2013, was also a member of the Cardinals football team.

5:00

He started his law enforcement career as a school security officer with the Pinellas County Schools Police Department from July of 2018 through August of 2019.

5:05

He then was a deputy with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, working in the corrections area from August of 2019 through March of 2023.

5:14

In March of 2023, he joined the Dayton Police Department, where he has been an officer since graduating the Academy in November of 2023.

5:22

Hunter currently lives in Kettering, and we're glad to have him a member of the uh division of police.

5:26

So welcome, Hunter.

5:34

Our second officer that we will be swearing in here momentarily is Alexander Plummer.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Public Engagement█████████████████████████████29%

Procedural█████████████████████21%

Engineering And Infrastructure████████████████████20%

Zoning And Land Use███████████████15%

Personnel Matters█████5%

Water And Wastewater Management█████5%

Arts And Culture███3%

Parks and Recreation██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Vandalia City Council Meeting - January 6, 2025

The Vandalia City Council held its regular meeting on January 6, 2025, at 7:00 PM. The meeting included oath ceremonies for the interim city manager and two new police officers, public comments criticizing council procedures and the Dayton Air Show barter arrangement, unanimous approval of several resolutions related to a new public works facility and vehicle purchases, and split-vote approval of a variance for a Fifth Third Bank drive-through ATM with an added condition.

Consent Calendar

Approval of minutes: none (no minutes to approve).
Communications, Petitions, and Awards: Oaths of Office administered to Interim City Manager Kurt Althouse, Police Officer Hunter Stout, and Police Officer Alexander Plummer. (No other communications.)
Appointments: Council unanimously (7-0) approved representatives to the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission/Transportation Coordinating Committee (Mayor Herbst, alternate Rob Cron; Ben Borton technical delegate, alternate Chad Baughman), First Suburbs Consortium (Mayor Herbst and Councilmember Doogan, alternate Vice Mayor Blakesly), Montgomery County Community Improvement Corporation (Mayor Herbst), and Vandalia Development Corporation (Councilmember Aivalotis-Weaver for odd-year seat).

Public Comments & Testimony

Jack Froeshower (Castle Road) spoke against new restrictions on citizen comments, calling them condescending and toxic. He criticized the city's barter arrangement with the Dayton International Air Show, arguing the city provides security and maintenance services worth more than the $25,000 estimated value. He proposed the air show pay $100,000 and two chalet tents, and recommended using tickets to incentivize student attendance. He also objected to the air show director announcing use of the Rec Center without council authorization and suggested the parade be taken over by a city committee if the Chamber of Commerce will not run it.
Barbara Spurgeon (777 North Edge Drive) echoed concerns about new speech restrictions, stating they discourage citizen participation and urging a return to previous practices.

Discussion Items

City Manager's Report – Information Items: Mr. Althouse reminded that city offices will be closed Monday, January 20 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day), with the second January meeting moved to Tuesday, January 21 at 7:00 PM. Christmas tree recycling is available through January 31 at the Sports Complex or curbside on regular trash day.
Resolution 25-R-01 – Site and Tree Clearing for New Public Works Facility: Approved 7-0. Authorizes a contract with Elevated Ground Solutions, LLC for site and tree clearing at 810 Northwoods Boulevard at a cost not to exceed $110,000. Work must be completed by March 31, 2025, due to environmental regulations.
Resolution 25-R-02 – Architecture/Design and Construction Contract Administration for New Public Works Facility: Approved 7-0. Extends the master services agreement with WDC Group for $2,083,930, covering final design and construction administration.
Resolution 25-R-03 – Playground Equipment for Victory Park: Approved 7-0. Authorizes purchase from Landscape Structures through Ohio procurement contract, not to exceed $60,000. Combined with a safety surface contract, total project cost not to exceed $100,000, funded by $50,000 CDBG and $50,000 CIP.
Resolution 25-R-04 – 2025 Kenworth T480V Cab & Chassis: Approved 7-0. Authorizes purchase from Palmer Trucks at Sourcewell contract price of $128,367 for a single-axle dump truck to replace Truck #20 (with over 38,405 miles).
Resolution 25-R-05 – Upfit Equipment for Kenworth (Snow & Ice Accessories): Approved 7-0. Authorizes purchase from K.E. Rose Company at Sourcewell price of $168,925. Total for cab/chassis and upfit: $297,292, which is $9,708 under the budgeted $307,000.
Resolution 25-R-06 – 2025 Ford F-550 Cab & Chassis: Approved 7-0. Authorizes purchase from Beau Townsend Ford for $61,210 to replace Truck #16 (with over 61,400 miles). Used for year-round maintenance and snow/ice clearing of 210 lane miles.
Variance BZA 24-14 – Front Yard Drive-Through ATM at 750 West National Road (Fifth Third Bank): Approved 5-2. The Board of Zoning Appeals had voted 4-0 to recommend approval with two conditions (landscaping and lighting). Council added a third condition: the variance shall lapse and the drive-through and associated structures must be removed if the use ceases for 12 consecutive months. Councilmember Lewis and Mayor Herbst voted no, citing Fifth Third Bank's lack of community investment and concerns about future blight.
Variance BZA 24-15 – Minimum Lot Frontage at 304 North Dixie Drive (North Point Community Church): Approved 7-0. Allows a place of worship to have 50 feet of lot frontage where the code requires more. BZA recommended 4-0.
Conditional Use PC 24-15 – Place of Worship at 304 North Dixie Drive: Approved 7-0. Allows operation of a church in a Neighborhood Business district. Planning Commission recommended 4-0. Councilmember Aivalotis-Weaver noted she surveyed neighbors and received positive feedback.

Key Outcomes

All six resolutions (25-R-01 through 25-R-06) were approved unanimously (7-0).
Appointments to regional boards were approved unanimously.
Variance BZA 24-14 (Fifth Third Bank ATM) was approved 5-2 with an added sunset clause requiring removal if the ATM is unused for 12 consecutive months.
Variance BZA 24-15 and Conditional Use PC 24-15 (North Point Community Church) were both approved 7-0.
Council discussed upcoming workshops on water/sewer rates and potential review of air show arrangements and invitee lists.
City Manager's Report noted that Christmas tree recycling runs through January 31 (correcting a shorter date in the city magazine).

Meeting Transcript

The January 6th City of Vandalia Council meeting is now called to order. We'll start with a moment of reflection, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. Please stand for the pledge. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic, which it stands one nation under God, indivisible liberty and justice for all. All right, we have no minutes to approve. We have no communications petitions and awards. Or that brings us to communications petitions and awards. And uh at this time I've got the privilege to uh administer the oath of office to our interim city manager, Mr. Kurt Althouse. A native of Tip City, Kurt Althouse has spent 22 years in Montgomery County Sheriff's Office before joining as police lieutenant in October of 2014. Kurt has served as the chief of police since 2018 and previously served as interim city manager in 2020 and 2021. Kurt lives in the area with his fiancee, Melanie. Kurt also has three sons, Justin, Jeremy, and Jaden. Kurt, if you'd like to join me down front. All right, raise your right hand, repeat after me. I state your name. I Kurt Althouse. Solemnly swear. Solemnly swear. That I will support the Constitution. That I will support the Constitution. And will obey the laws of the United States. And we'll obey the laws of the United States. And of the state of Ohio. And of the state of Ohio. That I will, in all respects. That I will in all respects. Observe the provisions of the charter. Observe the provisions of the charter. And the ordinances of the City of Vandalia. And the ordinances of the City of Vandalia. And will faithfully discharge. And we'll faithfully discharge. The duties of the Office of Interim City Manager. The duties of the Office of Interim City Manager. Congratulations, sir. Thank you. Thanks. And at this time we're going to continue on with some fun Vandalia business. So if you don't want to we get two more appointments, I'm sorry. All right, next we have the introduction and oath of office for a police officer. Uh Mr. Althouse. Yeah, two. So it's our privilege to have two new police officers that joined the Vandale Division of Police today. So I will start out by reading their bios. I will ask them to stand individually as I read each of their bios, and then we'll come down and administer the oath of office to them individually. Our first police officer that we brought on board today is Hunter Stout. Hunter, if you will stand up. So Hunter reported for duty this morning and began his initial orientation and field training with the division of police.

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